'b' Pillar Brace

[Gts-t]

Thanks SK just what i was looking for!

Sk/beer baron/anyone..

Also in regard to a cage how safe are they for the street? I mean if ur not wearing a helmet wouldnt u be at a high risk of hitting ur head on the cage in an accident?

I know they are padded but that cant help that much.... thoughts?

[Beer Baron]

are we still talking that b pillar brace or we talking proper cage now?

the b pillar brace doens't pose any risk to your head or anything on the street, a cage is another matter.

the problem is when you have a cage, but dont have a fixed full bucket seat and a harness to go with it then you are definately at risk of some part of your body striking part of the cage in an accident. I run a cusco 8 point cage, but whenever the car isn't going to the track for a while and the cobra seat comes out, I remove the front part of the cage too. so the only part even close to my head or body is the main hoop. now, the main hoop is behind the back of my seat so risk is limited a bit, but in a big impact when the seat breaks I would definately be at risk of striking the cage somewhere. my cage is sheated in high density foam which would reduce the impact a bit, but it's still something to consider. personaly I think the benefits of it outweight the negatives.

[SKY 34]

mate, watch out for that e-bay user, I've heard some bad rumors abt him...check for item availability before purchasing...

[Gts-t]

are we still talking that b pillar brace or we talking proper cage now?

the b pillar brace doens't pose any risk to your head or anything on the street, a cage is another matter.

the problem is when you have a cage, but dont have a fixed full bucket seat and a harness to go with it then you are definately at risk of some part of your body striking part of the cage in an accident. I run a cusco 8 point cage, but whenever the car isn't going to the track for a while and the cobra seat comes out, I remove the front part of the cage too. so the only part even close to my head or body is the main hoop. now, the main hoop is behind the back of my seat so risk is limited a bit, but in a big impact when the seat breaks I would definately be at risk of striking the cage somewhere. my cage is sheated in high density foam which would reduce the impact a bit, but it's still something to consider. personaly I think the benefits of it outweight the negatives.

Bb,

nah wasnt talking about the b pillar brace, that is totally off the cards now.

Can i ask how much your cusco 8 point was, who you got it from etc. Also is a bolt in cage as good as one that is welded in and goes into the engine bay/boot and is welded to the pillars etc much like v8 supercar etc?

Can you notice a difference in handling/performance/track times etc with the cage in? what is it like with the front half removed?

Also some pics of the cusco cage in your car would be awesome

Thanks for any input

[Beer Baron]

cusco 8 point can be quite reasonable in price depending on what material you get it made out of etc (they have heaps of options). The killer is freight over here, you would need to find somone that could do cheap sea freight for you.

the more places the cage is fixed to the body the better, and a welded in cage is better than a bolt in cage, and one that ties to the suspension towers is even better again (but requires a fair bit of work and cost). the only downside to welding it in is you can't easily remove it so it's pretty much a permanent thing.

as for the handling benefit, the car is very stiff with the cage in. personally I dont think the front half of the cage I have does much for rigidity it's more for safety (and maybe looks? lol). this is because I have the pussy version that doesn't require you to cut up the dash. this means the front legs have a bend in them. the brace across the top would help though (between the a-pillars). the main hoop and the rear bars are where all the strength and rigidity is coming from I think.

the only other thing to consider is the weight. a steel cage is quite heavy so it will work a little bit against your goal of lighter weight. but as mentioned above it does have safety benefits and some handling benefits too.

pics (with rear half only):

I find the rear half is fine for street too. My quarter windows are very, very dark tint (maybe 5%) and the rear screen is not far behind, so from the side, or behind the car you can't really see it.

[Gts-t]

Hey bb,

thanks for the reply and the pics, really appreciate it. I think what you have is perfect for a car that will still be driven on the street from time to time. I really like how u can remove the front half.

Any idea who i should import one from negun/greenline etc?

Also do the cusco cages meet any australian standards? Like ANDRA etc or do they all have to be weld in :S

I had heard that for the street the cage must be bolt in to be legal, but for running fast times at the drags u need it to meet ANDRA specs

Love the seat and harness too, and what looks like 3 defi's and a quick release steering wheel

[Beer Baron]

lol, you spied correctly! (ok, now I'm just showing off!)

if I'm not going to the track for a while I even swap the seat back to a stock one too as I look like a bit of a clown climbing out of a V8 supercar seat in the coles carpark. plus with the cobra in there it's 4 point harness or nothing (no facility to use stock belts) and using a 3 inch, 4 point harness on the street get's old fast when it takes 5 mins to get settled, then a 5 minute trip... then back in the car again etc. plus try paying toll when you are strapped in to that seat!

as for legality, I believe the cusco cage doesn't meet cams regs so you can use it in events that DONT require a cage, but if the event DOES require a cage it will be no good. I expect the same is true for ANDRA. I understand it's something to do with wall thickness, or weld type or joint type or something like that, because as far as I can tell it does meet the approve design for roll over protection.

also worth noting with my cage (the 8 point) it has that extra bottom cross bar at the back. that bar means you cant fit a rear seat. without that bar it's possible to squeeze a rear seat in there if you want.

as for importing one. well I import all my own parts direct from japan, but I think greenline or nengun could get one for you. sea freight would be the only real option though.

[Gts-t]

I like the way you think BB.

I had never planned to get a roll cage anyway as the events i want to do dont require one, and also i dont think im ever going to have a car setup for circuit that goes faster than 10.x or 9.x lol

I really just want to stiffen the car right up and not have it like a spring without a shock. And also a little extra safety would be a good thing. Good to hear that u can notice a difference in handling etc id hate to spend the time buying, importing and fitting it and not notice a difference.

Also did u buy that CF DIN from me a few years ago, i sold a number of them on here...

Heres mine, the back has been stripped since this photo thought so that wont be a problem for the cage

Edited February 1, 2007 by 2630GTS

[dead32]

<3 the nizmo floor mats and the bride door trims cf is pimp aswell.. fc is choice aswell

[Beer Baron]

nah I made the CF panel myself. it's 3 layer carbon. a bit of over kill as it's about 5mm thick but so light and strong!

yeah, cage is not necessary but I have it more for the safety factor than anything else. when you combine the carbon seat, 4 point harness and cage together i'm a lot safer than I would be with stock seat and belt and no cage. plus it does have the cool factor! lol which I wont deny is important to me.

[dead32]

shame on you!!! so when is someone gona take me for a drive in a gtr? ive only ever sat in 1 in my life MADGTR and i already was pumped!

[Ronin 09]

nah I made the CF panel myself. it's 3 layer carbon. a bit of over kill as it's about 5mm thick but so light and strong!

yeah baron I find the additional stiffness at the centre console makes a huge difference to my lap times

when i bring up the covers you are taking me for a drive in yours... deal?

[Beer Baron]

yeah the centre console stiffness is key. it's a little known secret.

when you bring the covers I'll do better than a ride, you can have a go if you want.

[Ronin 09]

that's not a cage...

that's a cage lol

[Gts-t]

Holy shit that is a cage

[SKY 34]

that's not a cage...

that's a cage lol

you can't even flatten that car at wreckers

[Beer Baron]

lol, he basically built a space frame inside the car. I say just remove the body now and be done with it.

[Kaido_RR]

i have a do-luck floor brace (b pillar brace) it does nothing but make it harder for people to sit in the back seat

but i like it shiny is cool!

[Sydneykid]

If you don't need a CAMS and/or ANDRA approved cage then check the For Sale Forums. Quite a few cars come in with cages and they have to be removed for compliance, I bought a 6 point one with padding for $600.

cheers

[justinfox]

Love that Brown Davis cage! Must be so damn heavy lol. I had a Brown Davis rollbar in my MX-5 damn it was heavy.

I have the 6-point chromoly Cusco cage. What a difference it made to my car handling wise.

I also have the Do-Luck bar and noticed no difference in handling with it fitted. Tempted to take it out as it's just extra weight.

I also fitted HKS Kansai under body bracing, no difference in feel either. Out of all chassis mods on the cage was a clear difference in feel.